Kazuha Aoi
Kazuha Aoi (b. 2043 – d. 2061) was the older sister of Kazuya Aoi, daughter of Orie and Ryuuichi Aoi, granddaughter of Gengo Aoi, and the heroine of the 8th Nova Clash. She was also the older cousin of Ouka Tenjouin, who is better known currently as Ouka Honda of the Valkyries. Background thumb|200px|Kazuha's grave. Kazuha was born in 2043 to Ryuuichi Aoi and Orie Aoi. During her birth, Orie experienced complications and Kazuha's life was only saved by her grandfather's intervention. As a child, Kazuha often spent time with her grandfather at his laboratory. In 2049, Kazuha met her aunt Cassandra for the first time when she came to stay with her brother's family. In 2050, Kazuha's younger brother Kazuya was born. In the same year, Kazuha was forced to kill her mother to protect her brother after Orie attempted to murder Kazuya. She was later forced to watch her father kill himself. Immediately following her mother's death, Kazuha was infused with 6 miniaturized versions of the Legendary Stigmata. In 2053 by age ten, Kazuha was fully enrolled in the Anti-Nova training program established by her grandfather, and she has been infused with four more of her special Stigmata, bringing her total to 10. She later became a Pandora so she and Kazuya could live on their own, as per an agreement made with her grandfather, Gengo Aoi. She officially entered West Genetics in 2060 and joined the elite Numbers unit; due to her grandfather's influence. In 2061, Kazuha participated in the 8th Nova Clash, battling a Type-S Nova, who forced Kazuha to push her Stigmata to the point where was beginning to Novalize. To avoid the prospect of turning on her allies as a Nova, Kazuha decided to sacrifice herself in order to defeat the Type-S Nova. As a result of her noble sacrifice, Kazuha posthumously earned the sobriquet "Hero of the 8th Nova Clash." Kazuya believes that their grandfather Gengo is to blame for her death, while Ouka Tenjouin claims Kazuha died because she ignored Gengo's warnings. When Kazuha died, her Stigmata has actually exploded into fragments that scattered across the battlefield, and they each had mass even greater than the original Stigmata Kazuha had in her body. At least fourteen of these fragments were recovered and implanted into several other Pandora through the Heroic Stigmata Transplant Project, which began in 2062. These Stigmata were labelled as "Heroic Stigmata" and the recipients of her Stigmata were: *Satellizer L. Bridget (6; 5% Compatibility) *Cassie Lockheart (3; 90% Compatibility) *Charles Bonaparte (2; 48% Compatibility) *Julia Munberk (2; 36% Compatibility) *Roxanne Elipton (1; 29% Compatibility) Appearance Kazuha has amber coloured eyes and back-length dark blue hair with the sides tied to her back. Her uniform is similar to Satella's, but is coloured light blue. In Freezing: Zero, she mentioned that her grandfather Gengo designed the uniform. Like Satellizer, she also has a rather large bosom. Personality Outside of the battlefield, Kazuha was rather jovial and seemingly carefree, not truly bothered by the prospect of offending others. On the battlefield, she retains a strong will and caring compassion towards her allies. Determined to save them, she makes the ultimate sacrifice without hesitation. Kazuha is kind, gentle and caring towards her younger brother Kazuya. She is seen often calming him down and stating that everything will be fine. Her bond with her younger brother, Kazuya, was very strong before her death. Their bond was so close that when Kazuya believed she was going to be killed, he rushed to her room, and she comforted him, soothing his rampant emotions. She also liked bathing with him as seen in Freezing Zero when she made him wait in a tub of water; too hot for him until she got in. As a child, Kazuha was both playful and mysterious, which prevented her parents from fully understanding their daughter. Early on, Kazuha knew she was "different" from other people, which led her to be detached from her mother while trying to get her father to understand they were the "same." She is very protective of her little brother, sensing when he is in danger. In spite of these positive traits, Kazuha's early and instinctive connection to the transcendent will, and Gengo's influence, left her seemingly rather unfeeling. In contrast to her adult self, the young Kazuha was dismissive of the feelings of people who weren't like herself. After Orie's death and her spiritual conversation with Kazuha, the young girl was seemingly uncaring when she was reminded of her mother. This was only partially true, as Kazuha was shown screaming for her mother after her death. However, because of Orie's spirit lingering on, Kazuha believed that grief was an empty thing to feel due to Orie still being present with her family. Rather than focusing on her own pain, Kazuha focused on her fate instead of the concerns of the mortal world. In light of this, she initially only protected Kazuya out of duty, which she describes as instinct, rather than out of love. As Kazuha grew older, she realized the value and importance of the family her parents and grandfather wanted and loved, and she desired to make the value of family as one of her values. In doing so, Kazuha grew to love and care for Kazuya as well as other people. However, Kazuha didn't consider herself a thorough ally to humanity, believing her Stigma Body distanced herself from them too much. Kazuha, in some ways, continued to latch on the transience of human existence and didn't fully understand why she was protecting humans and their will, but she did so regardless and did so happily. She was happy when upon determining Kazuya to be a true ally of humanity, and despite her previous difficulties and transgressions, encouraged him to fight for them. Freezing: Zero Kazuha Aoi Arc Kazuha develops a multi-vector attack and time compression on the fly, attacking a newly evolved Nova, these techniques are later codified as the Tempest Turn and Accel Turn respectively, when developed into standard High End Skills. Kazuha transferred into West Genetics in her sophomore year (second year), and was promptly assigned to the Senior Year's Numbers squad. She had a different uniform from the other Genetics students, being one designed by Gengo Aoi. At the time Yu-Mi Kim was already in her Senior Year (third year) and part of the Numbers Squad. Kazuha fist met Yu-Mi, Elize, and Shion, but running into Yu-Mi's large chest. Kazuha quickly recovered and introduced herself. Kazuha relays that she, over Mi-Ryuung Baek, would be the junior member of the Numbers Squad despite Mi-Ryung's victory in the most recent junior Carnival while Kazuha didn't earn a single point. Yu-Mi was outraged even though it was a direct order from Gengo Aoi, Kazuha's grandfather. Kazuha's words became careless and callous, earning her a violent slap from Yu-Mi. Later, Kazuha had encountered Mi-Ryung who had scheduled a fight against her rival from East Genetics. Kazuha calm, yet critical comments about the rules struck Mi-Ryung and caused her to verbally lash at Kazuha. Mi-Ryung, however, quickly collected herself and told Kazuha that the rules are not always enough to protect. After Kazuha babied her younger brother at home, she is visited by Yu-Mi and Elize, and Yu-Mi apologizes for striking Kazuha earlier. Kazuha accepts the apology but cannot stop herself from groping her senior, saying she'd always wanted to do it. Yu-Mi gave her another thump on the head, which Elize claimed was much deserved. Kazuha then outed Mi-Ryuung and Saeko to Yu-Mi and Elize about their battle at the Type-F dummy Nova hangar. The three girls decided to watch the juniors fight and did not intervene until Saeko's attack caused the dummy to activate. Elize had to go for help while Yu-Mi ordered Kazuha to stand back, believing she was weak due to her Carnival score. Yu-Mi, Mi-Ryuung, and Saeko engaged the Nova, but Saeko's pride caused Yu-Mi's plans to fail, and she falls unconscious defending Saeko who was struck down. Mi-Ryung falls as well, but Saeko saves her in kind. When the girls seem to be reconciling, Kazuha draws her sword and personally defeats the Nova with Blood Strike, while leaving everyone astonished. Following the incident, Kazuha and the others were punished, but their sentence was lessened due to Kazuha's connections. Warriors of Valhalla Arc The crystallized corpse of Kazuha is shown, grieved over for two long years by Gengo. Said corpse is later shown, preserved in a large glass cylinder. Gengo apologized to the late Kazuha, for failing to preserve even her remains. Freezing 12th Nova Clash During the chaos caused by the Faylan Generator malfunction, Kazuha appeared before Satellizer as a phantom. She proclaimed that Kazuya belonged to her, and denounced Satellizer for having the audacity of trying to replace her. She brutally knocked the blonde Pandora to the ground, and brandished her blade at her forehead, proclaiming that she would have never replaced her, not even in a million years. Her opponent tried to have confounded her with an Accel-Tempest variant, but Kazuha saw through it and severed Satellizer's arm with a single blow. Kazuha then continues to torment Satellizer, calling her a weakling and a coward who brought disaster to everyone. She then said she would've taken Kazuya back, there and then. Satellizer then Novalized, and regenerated her arm to boot. Though Kazuha was unimpressed, and said she was just as pathetic as her mother. She later nailed her opponent with her patented attack, Blood Strike, which took Satellizer's arm, bounced back and nailed her several more times. Her enemy tried to overwhelm her with a Triple Accel, but Kazuha created an after-image of herself and evaded the attack. She then severed Satellizer's legs with another Blood Strike. Her opponent regenerated yet again, and then unleashed her own attack, Nova Strike. Though it missed her and impaled Kazuya instead. After Satellizer transcended as a Pandora, the visage of Kazuha returned and she thanked Satellizer for being by her younger brother's side. Kazuya was now able to see her, and believed the illusion of Kazuha was not truly an illusion, saying she has now transcended. Kazuha then disappeared whilst her brother and Satellizer returned to the fights. Busters Arc While interacting with Cassandra, Kazuya has a brief flashback of a young Kazuha telling an unknown person to stay away from her brother. She's later seen in the memories Maria Lancelot showed to Scarlett Ohara. 13th Nova Clash Arc In Japan 2049, Ryuuichi Aoi, Kazuha's father, gets home from work and he is greeted by this young wife Orie Aoi, who is highly distressed about their daughter Kazuha, who has developed an unnatural, emotional distance from her mother. Kazuha said they were not the "same" and thus Orie could not understand her. Ryuuichi readily dismissed the comments of a six-year old but thought to talk to his father about it at his laboratory. However, Orie is upset and jealous that Kazuha spends more time with her grandfather than with her own parents; Orie is fearful she will lose her daughter to Gengo. Ryuuichi calms her down and still decides to see Gengo for advice. Upon arriving at Gengo's lab, Ryuuichi is escorted by one of Gengo's colleagues, but Kazuha arrives. Ryuuichi assumes she saw him on a surveillance camera, but Kazuha says that she only "sensed" him, which unnerves her father a little. The child then escorts her father to Gengo's lab and little Kazuha runs up to her grandfather who is standing in front of three pods that have a steel covering. Ryuuichi begins to believe his wife's warning that Kazuha is spending too much time with Gengo. Ryuuichi wants to speak with his father without Kazuha, but Gengo doesn't mind having her listen. Ryuuichi expresses outrage that Gengo doesn't see Orie as part of the family. Gengo rather flatly explains that Orie was not supposed to carry Ryuuichi's children but the three women in the pods behind him. Gengo pulls away the pods' steel covering to reveal Cassandra, Teslad, and Windy May who are in stasis, and Gengo introduces them as Ryuuichi's older sisters and the Legendary Pandora. When Ryuuichi and Orie agree to house Cassandra for a while, the family meets "Cassandra Aoi" who steps out of the limousine with Gengo on her crutches. Orie, Ryuuichi, Kazuha, and Cassandra then shared a meal, and Kazuha wanted to feed her aunt. Cassandra ate, but she was immediately spitting fire as the food was too hot. After the meal, Kazuha happily played with her aunt who was looking exhausted. Orie took to the dishes and told her husband that she had never seen Kazuha smile so brilliantly, and she wondered if it was because Cassandra was so captivating. In an outing, the Aoi family have a picnic by the large tree, and an athletic Kazuha has already been able to tap into some of the physical enhancements of her Stigma Body. She jumps from branch to branch to get an amazing view. She invites her mother to join her, but Orie explains that he cannot do some of the amazing things Kazuha can. Kazuha jumps down and innocently repeats that Gengo told her that Orie is not able to do some of the things she can, but it is not her fault. Orie is shaken, giving a look between embarrassment and anger. Some time passes, enough for Orie's pregnancy to become visible. Orie and Ryuuichi explain as much as they can to the young Kazuha, and Orie invites her daughter to hear her baby brother in her womb, and the scene is the closest Kazuha has ever been with her mother. A curious Cassandra is peeking, and Orie invites her to come and touch her future nephew. When Orie experiences fatal complications with her second pregnancy, Gengo tells Ryuuichi that they are the same ones that Orie experienced with Kazuha but more severe as Kazuya has a higher concentration of Stigma in his body. Ryuuichi then admits that Orie needs Kazuya to be born, so she could receive the love and acceptance she doesn't receive from Kazuha. Kazuya is transferred to Cassandra's womb and five months later, Kazuha's baby brother is born. Kazuha is next seen informing her father that her baby brother is crying when he comes home from the university. When Kazuha informs in that Kazuya hasn't eaten for days, Ryuuichi gets angry at his wife, who says that Kazuya refuses to drink her milk or even baby formula. Orie tries to feed Kazuya and orders him to drink quickly. She freaks out, demanding why he won't drink when it's his mother's milk when he has to be hungry. She wonders if Kazuya doesn't recognize her as his mother. Ryuuichi suggests there might be something wrong with Kazuya and to take him to a doctor. During one of the nights, Kazuha goes to Kazuya. She tells him it's big sister and asks him not to cry. She guesses he's hungry and tries to feed him seeing how her mother tries to feed Kazuya. But naturally, there's no milk to be had, so he resumes crying. Kazuha apologizes to him. When Kazuya effectively chooses Cassandra as his mother, an envious and angry Orie resolved to kill Kazuya by smothering his face with a pillow. Kazuha, who sensed her brother's distress, catches her mother in the act with a look of rage. When Kazuha calls Orie "Lady" instead of "Mom," Orie breaks out into hysterical laughter. With Kazuha unwittingly reminding Orie of why she is attempting to kill Kazuya in the first place, Orie attempts to finish what she started. Kazuha interferes and fights her mother with her ultimately being forced to fatally stab Orie with a shard of glass in order to protect her brother. Orie then gently caresses Kazuha's face, who was naturally stunned by her actions. She then apologizes to Kazuha for being different from the rest of the family. After she gave Kazuha back her brother, she collapsed before dying in an ambulance. That night Kazuha was looking out at the sky and saw the spirit of her mother. Orie assures her that it was not her fault before telling her to take care. Kazuha then began crying hysterically while calling for her mother, whom left the mortal plane before her grieving eyes. Though once she was gone, Kazuha promised her that she'd protect Kazuya from that point forward. She's next seen at her mother's funeral, solemnly standing beside her grandfather. When Gengo told her to say goodbye to Orie, Kazuha explained she already did, much to his shock. Kazuha is next seen in one of Gengo's training facilities, six stigmata already grafted into her back. When asked how she felt, she relayed that she felt fine. Gengo said training was done for the day, and promised to increase her stigmata gradually from that day forward. The young Aoi girl returns to her house, and finds her despondent father sitting alone in the darkness. When Ryuuichi said Orie was dead, Kazuha rebutted that only her body was gone, her spirit was still with them. She asked him if he could sense it, but Ryuuichi snapped at her, and all but proclaimed she'd murdered Orie. Once he calmed down, Ryuuichi told her that they would move from Hokkaido, far away from Gengo and their old life. Kazuha urged him not to be sad, for though while Orie's body was no longer in their dimension, she wasn't completely separated from them. And that according to Gengo, information on their current position in space meant nothing to those who had truly transcended. And that they were the only ones on the planet who could achieve that. Ryuuichi called it ridiculous, proclaiming Orie had died protecting Kazuya, had sacrificed everything for his sake. The grief-stricken Aoi then held his daughter's shoulders, and demanded why she killed her own mother. With a smile, Kazuha stated she had not slain Orie out of hate, but Kazuya still had things to do in their dimension, as did herself and Ryuuichi. She said they all had a role to play, so they all had to live until the appropriate time. But since Orie was different from them, she had no role, but didn't begrudge her for dying before they did. Unfortunately, her words only angered Ryuuichi further, and he questioned whether Kazuha was even Orie's child, because she killed her for being "different" from them, and thus "unnecessary." Kazuha failed to understand why he was so angry, and simply stated she was indeed his child. In the last part of the flashback, she's holding her brother in her arms, standing away from her grandfather as he mourns the loss of his only son. She promises to protect Kazuya from him. As the scene fades away, Kazuha reappears in her adult form, standing away from her still-living brother. When asked what he should do, Kazuha replied she'd already told him. She said she'd learned the purpose of transcendence, along with the transience of human existence, which resulted in her mother's death and her father's despair. Kazuha said she meant no harm, she simply followed her instincts. And that in the beginning, even raising Kazuya was pro forma; something her mother would've died to bring about, something her father desperately treasured, something her grandfather had deeply yearned for, Kazuha attempted to make it hers. And while Kazuya tried to protest, his sister stated it was the honest truth. She added that during the time she raised Kazuya, she realized why Orie had done what she did, why Cassandra could change, and how important family truly is. So she tried to secure the goal her grandfather had attempted for over fifty years. She surmised Gengo knew his cause was hopeless, yet despite that he was trying to buy humanity but a little more time, though Kazuha admitted she no longer knew the meaning of it. Despite that, she still sought protect humanity, its will, but above all her family. And while she believed it was different from Gengo's overall goal, once she made her commitment she gained "new value." And while she didn't know whether it be right or meaningless, Kazuha said that the desire to protect what is important is the will Kazuya was inheriting. And that was why he was unique among all the transcendent ones, his was an existence that could understand the value of "protecting humans." The fallen Pandora stated their mother gave birth to him, their father had protected him, and she imparted the real truth: Kazuya was the sole Stigma Body that could become an ally of humanity. And thus she ordered him to protect his family and precious comrades with all his might, and that by doing so, he might open another possibility for the world. Abilities Overview *Kazuha Aoi is known as the strongest Pandora of her time. She possessed a Stigmatic Body of 12%, which was inherited from her father Ryuuichi Aoi. *Kazuha's Stigma Body granted her enhanced physical prowess, even from a young age she was able to leap large distances easily. Kazuha's Stigma Body also allowed her to begin training as a Pandora at the age of ten. *At age seven, Kazuha was equipped with six Stigmata, and by the time of her death she possessed an incredible twenty Stigmata. These Stigmata were revealed to be prototype Legendary Stigmata that were miniaturized, making them considerably more powerful than regular Stigmata. *Kazuha is the creator of the Accel Turn and Tempest Turn High-End Skills, which she developed and used during the 8th Nova Clash. Volt Weapon *'"Nova Blood" '''took the form of a large, oddly shaped sword. *She had a special attack called '''Blood Strike', which she used to finish off the rampaging Type-F replica. *She could also produce two Anti-Nova style shields, as she did during her training session in the 2053. Nova Form * Kazuha, due to overuse of her Stigmata, assumed a Corrosion-type Nova Form during the 8th Nova Clash. The enhanced abilities of this form enabled her to destroy a Type-S Nova, albeit at the cost of her own life. Relationships Kazuya Aoi They had a very strong relationship and both cared for each other. Kazuha showed a great fondness for Kazuya from the time he was in his mother's womb, resting her head on Orie's belly and repairing her damaged relationship with her mother as a result of her fondness for her younger brother. Their mutual stigma bodies allowed Kazuha to have an empathetic link with Kazuya, sensing his fear and distress when he was threatened. This allowed Kazuha to intercept Orie's attempt on Kazuya's life, intervening to save her younger brother. After the death of their parents, Kazuha became baby Kazuya's primary caretaker, serving as both older sister and guardian at the same time. For the most part, due to her wariness of Gengo, she took care of Kazuya on her own without her grandfather's presence or financial help. This strong relationship and bond between the siblings lasted until her death and was never truly strained. The two would playfully tease and taunt one another, with Kazuya commenting that his sister looked like the sort who could provoke someone into punching her and Kazuha teasing him in turn. Notably, they were very protective of one another. A young Kazuya vowed to protect his sister from human bullies at West Genetics, to which Kazuha replied with a jest. For her part, Kazuha protected Kazuya from Orie, but only out of obligation instead of love. When Kazuha finally understood the value of family, she grew to love Kazuya completely and came to him one last time to push him being someone with a Stigma Body that could fully protect humanity. Arcadia Aoi Arcadia Aoi is Kazuha's younger half-sister. Ryuuichi Aoi Ryuuichi Aoi is Kazuha's father. Kazuha's behaviour regularly confused Ryuuichi though it did not bother him. Kazuha felt connected with her father, believing they were the "same". This connection puzzled Ryuuichi, who didn't understand or have knowledge of their mutual alien nature that Kazuha sensed. Ultimately, Ryuuichi was unable to understand his daughter any more than his wife. The familial relationship between father and daughter began to spiral downward after Orie's death, with Ryuuichi drinking heavily and being driven into a rage when he found out that she didn't regret killing her mother. Indeed, Ryuuichi lost his composure and loudly blamed his daughter for his wife's death, seeing Orie as innocent and Kazuha as her unjustified killer. When Kazuha didn't seem to care, believing that her mother's spirit was still with them, Ryuuichi angrily demanded to know if she was even Orie's daughter. In the end, after confronting his father about his ruined life, Ryuuichi committed suicide in front of the young Kazuha. Orie Aoi Kazuha was emotionally detached from her mother Orie Aoi as Kazuha believed her to be different from herself and Ryuuichi. She believed Orie was unable to understand her. Kazuha's distant disposition made Orie very insecure about their relationship and she feared that Gengo would take Kazuha from her. When Orie begins to suffer complications from her second pregnancy, Ryuuichi admits to Gengo that Orie needs Kazuya to be born in order to receive the love and affection, she does not receive from Kazuha. Kazuha would ultimately be forced to kill Orie when the latter attempted to murder Kazuya. Afterwards, Kazuha broke down and cried for her, showing that she really did love her mother and regretted killing her. Gengo Aoi When Kazuha was six, she was often by Gengo's side and enjoyed being with him, almost more than she enjoyed being around her own parents. Gengo put her to work as a Pandora when she was seven-years-old after Kazuha killed her mother defending Kazuya. After the death of both of Kazuha's parents, the dynamic of their relationship changed dramatically, with Kazuha becoming distant from Gengo and vowing to protect her younger brother from him. This emotional distance eventually became a physical distance as well. During her tenure as a Genetics cadet, Kazuha admitted that she only became a Pandora to get herself and Kazuya away from their grandfather though she did not explicitly say why she thought it best to keep Kazuya and Gengo apart. At some point, Kazuha eventually came to understand and adopt her grandfather's reason for fighting for the future of humanity. A drunken Gengo later revealed that Kazuha's death made him contemplate suicide, showing that he still loved his granddaughter in spite of their differences. Yu-Mi Kim Kazuha first met Yu-Mi when she transferred to West Genetics in her second-year. Their relationship was rocky at first, due to Yu-Mi's dislike for Kazuha's uncaring cynicism and her belief that Kazuha only became a member of Numbers due to being Gengo's granddaughter. This animosity led to Yu-Mi, provoked by Kazuha's blunt demeanor, striking Kazuha in the face before the two settled their differences. After Kazuha saved Yu-Mi and her friends from a rampaging Nova training unit, the two forged a strong friendship that lasted until Kazuha's death. For her part, Yu-Mi has kept a watchful eye on Kazuha's younger brother in order to honor the memory and protect the family of her friend. Cassandra Aoi Kazuha formally met Cassandra Aoi when she was six years old but was aware that she was a Legendary Pandora, whom her grandfather put into stasis. When Cassandra was released to meet the family for the first time, a young Kazuha became instantly attached to her and smiled brightly in her presence though Cassandra had not yet spoken a word. Windy May Aoi Not much is known about their relationship, except that it has been revealed that she is Kazuha's aunt. Kazuha was aware that Windy May Aoi was a Legendary Pandora and that she was put into stasis by her grandfather. Teslad Aoi Not much is known about their relationship, except that it has been revealed that she is Kazuha's aunt. Kazuha was aware that Teslad was a Legendary Pandora and that she was put into stasis by her grandfather. Trivia *Upon meeting Satellizer L. Bridget for the first time, Kazuya easily mistakes her for his sister due to her Heroic Stigmata. Incidentally in the anime, Kazuha was voiced by Mamiko Noto, who also voices Satellizer. *Kazuha transferred to West Genetics in her second year. *Kazuha was the only known Pandora not living in the dormitory. Instead, she lived with Kazuya and commuted to West Genetics on a daily basis. *Kazuha modelled both of her movement techniques after the much stronger Illusion Turn. Category:Character Category:Pandora Category:Lab 13 Category:Numbers